Board of Directors

About Us

Des Cahill

A member of Fine Gael, Cllr. Des Cahill represents Cork City South-East Ward. He was born in Ballintemple in Cork City and at the age of 21, as a 5th generation butcher, he went on to set up his own business. He ran that business of a butcher’s shop, delicatessen and outside catering company for the next 23 years. He entered politics and was first elected to Cork City Council in 2009 where he headed the vote in his constituency and was subsequently re-elected to Cork City Council in 2014. Councillor Cahill had the honour of being elected as Lord Mayor of Cork and during his term of office in 2016-2017, he consistently advanced the theme of positivity and positive mental health.

Cllr. Mary Rose Desmond

Board member Cllr. Mary Rose Desmond also serves on the Board’s HR & Remuneration Sub-committee. She currently works as Parliamentary Assistant to Micheál Martin TD. In her job both as Parliamentary Assistant and Councillor, she works assisting individuals, community groups, schools, businesses and sporting organisations throughout the community. Her love of theatre evolved from her time as a member of Montforts and her true love was working back stage. For many years, Cllr. Desmond enjoyed Stage Managing, Propping and Set Dressing productions in Cork Arts Theatre and The Everyman Theatre for a number of theatre companies in Cork including Montforts, CADA, and Everyman Productions. Her theatre involvement for many years now is in the enjoyable position of audience member. Cllr. Desmond is also a member of the Cork City Council’s Arts Committee.

Marguerite Gallagher

Board member Marguerite Gallagher is Head of Legal Affairs and Cork City Solicitor at Cork City Council. She is also qualified to practice in England and Wales and is a member of the New York State Bar in the USA. Prior to joining Cork City Council, Marguerite worked in Dublin for one of Ireland’s largest commercial law firms for many years and, on moving to Cork, worked for a short time for a Cork City commercial law firm. In addition to her role as Cork City Solicitor, Marguerite is part of the Senior Management Team of Cork City Council.

Dr. Ciara Glasheen-Artem

Board member Dr Ciara Glasheen-Artem is Head of the MTU Cork School of Music. Ciara is also principal oboe with Camerata Ireland and has played with the Colorado Symphony, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and more. She has performed on five continents as an oboist and still enjoys touring with Camerata Ireland, highlights including New York’s Carnegie Hall, National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai India, Corpartes Center for the Arts in Santiago Chile, Royal Opéra Versailles in Paris France and Guanajuato Mexico. Prior to joining the MTU Cork School of Music in 2016, Ciara lectured at the University of Colorado, Boulder where she also completed her post-graduate study on Fulbright scholarship.

Tim Healy (Board Chair)

In addition to his role as Board Chair, Tim Healy (BA, CPFA) also serves on the following Opera House Board Sub-committees: Finance, Nominations, and HR & Remuneration. He is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy and a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and holds a diploma in Company Direction. Mr. Healy was the Head of Finance with Cork City Council and has extensive experience and expertise in all aspects of Governance, Financial Management, Debt Management, Procurement, Risk Management and Internal Control systems. In addition, he also has significant experience of promoting Urban Renewal, Project Management and Corporate Development.

Mr Healy was Company Secretary to the Cork Capital of Culture Company from 2004 to 2006. He currently serves as Chair of the Cork ETB Audit & Risk Committee and the Visit Cork Audit & Risk Committee. Mr Healy is also a member of the Evaluation & Approvals Committee of the Cork City Local Enterprise Office and a non-executive member of the Finance & Legal Committee of Crawford Art Gallery.

Cllr. Joe Kavanagh

Board member Cllr. Joe Kavanagh also serves on the Board’s Finance Sub-Committee. He has been a Member of Cork City Council since 2011 having been successfully elected twice in 2014 and in 2019 in the North East Local Electoral Area of the City. In 2016, he was honoured to be elected as Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork City and then in 2020, as Lord Mayor of Cork City. He currently serves on a number of sub committees in Cork City Council such as Finance Committee, Planning Committee and Environment Committee. Cllr. Kavanagh was also instrumental in the setting up of the Dog Fouling Awareness Committee; he’s an active member of Mayfield St Luke’s Tidy Towns Committee which he set up in 2017 and is also a member of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee. Cllr Kavanagh is passionate about local community, the arts, tourism and particularly working with local community in making our communities a better place to do business and to live in.

Margaret Lane (Company Secretary)

Margaret Lane serves on the Finance Sub-committee and also holds the position of Chair on the Board’s HR & Remuneration Sub-committee. She has over 40 years of business experience in the commercial semi-state and public sectors and has held a number of senior positions in Finance and HR. She was the HR Director of Ervia and is a qualified accountant (ACCA) and holds an MBA from UCC and a Certificate in Coaching from Henley Business School/Reading University. Ms Lane is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Mercy University Hospital since 2008 and a member of Cork City Council Audit Committee since October 2014.

Cllr. Seán Martin

Board member Cllr. Seán Martin was first elected to the Cork City Council in 2004 and served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 2004 to 2005. He is a member of the South West Regional Authority, the Chairman of Cork City Sports Committee and the Chairman of the Rapid Monitoring Committee as well as a member of Colaiste Chriosti Ri Board of Management. Cllr Martin is also an active member of Nemo Rangers Hurling & Football Club.

Cllr. Gearóid Murphy

Board member Cllr. Gearóid Murphy is a County Councillor and barrister, based in Mallow. He was first co-opted onto Cork County Council in 2017 and re-elected in 2019. He is a member of the Council’s Arts, Culture and Languages SPC and the Economic Development SPC. He also sits on the Cork Area Strategic Plan Committee and the North Cork Local Community Development Committee. Cllr. Murphy has a keen interest in all art forms and is a regular supporter of the Mallow Arts Festival and other artistic projects in Cork.

Edwina Nyhan

Edwina Nyhan is the Chair of the Board’s Finance Sub-committee. Edwina is the Director of Strategy & Regulation in Gas Networks Ireland the semi-state organisation responsible for operating Ireland’s €2.7bn, 14,664km national gas network. She is responsible for defining Gas Networks Ireland’s strategy, sustainability focus, regulatory affairs in addition to managing the organisation’s stakeholder and policy environment. Edwina has extensive experience in the energy industry, is a Fellow of the institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland and is the executive sponsor of Gas Networks Ireland’s Diversity and Inclusion Programme. She is also a former Executive Director on the Board of Gas Networks Ireland. Edwina is also on the board of the Mercy University Hospital.

Rónán Ó Dubhghaill

Board member Rónán Ó Dubhghaill serves on the Board’s Nominations Sub-committee. He is the Vice President for External Relations at University College Cork. Prior to joining UCC in 2006, Rónán worked with EMC Corporation as Senior Director of Engineering and Operational Excellence. Rónán holds BE (Elec) and PhD degrees from UCC and an MBA from Henley Management College.

Cllr. Terry Shannon

Board member Cllr. Terry Shannon also serves on the Board’s Audit & Risk Sub-committee. He was re-elected to Cork City Council in 2019 for a 5th term having been first elected in 1999 when he topped the pole on his first attempt. He has been active in Fianna Fail for over 40 years serving as Chairman of Ogra Fianna Fail in Cork South Central from 1984 to 1989. He served on the Parties National Youth Committee in 1987. He is a former election agent for Micheál Martin. Cllr. Shannon was Lord Mayor of Cork in 2011 to 2012.